Farmer vows to carry on after ewe theft

A FARMER whose £900 Beltex ewe was stolen two weeks ago is planning to replace her at the coming Carlisle sales.

Jason Christie, 31, from Sibbaldbie, near Lockerbie, was devastated when the in-lamb ewe disappeared late last month from a field near where he lives.

Jason, who runs 39 sheep, decided to go into the Beltex breed earlier this year and bought the ewe and a tup.
He was waiting to have the ewe scanned to see how many lambs she was carrying, but the day before she disappeared from a paddock near the B713 road.
Jason said: “I bought the prize-winning ewe in July and was delighted with her and that she was in lamb. I decided to go into the Beltex breed but they are very expensive to buy.
“When I discovered she was missing I reported it to the police but I’ve heard nothing since. She was running with some cross ewes so obviously someone knew what they were looking for.”
He added: “I’ve given up any hope of getting her back. I was so disgusted that I was going to give up the sheep, but my girlfriend Amy Cooney persuaded me not to, but to carry on.
“Now I’m going to the sale at Carlisle this Friday and hope to replace her. I didn’t have her insured because it’s too costly to insure just a couple of sheep.”
Police are continuing their investigations into the disappearance of the ewe from a paddock next to the main B723 road near to Sibbaldbie Bridge, Lockerbie.
The ewe which was stolen sometime overnight Tuesday/Wednesday November 22-23, has red paint marks on its wool.
Constable Stephen Glendinning at Lockerbie sai: “This ewe seems to have been targeted as it was the only one out of a number in the field which was taken.
“The fences and gates are all secure and we are treating this as a theft.”

Get the full story in the Annandale Observer
Next issue published Friday 23rd March 2018.